Type-writing machine.



J. G. MOLAUGHLIN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 11, 1908.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (20.; WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JOHN C. McLAUG-HLIN, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN C. MGLAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- IVritin Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to card-holding devices of the class shown in United States Letters Patent No. $16,174:. According to said patent, the card is held by a clamp which can be projected at will from the periphery of the platen, to pinch the leading edge of the card against the surface of the platen. When using the machine for correspondence and other ordinary purposes, the clamp is retired within the platen, its outer edge remaining flush with the printing surface of the platen, and forming a part of said surface.

The principal objects of thepresent invention are to improve and simplify the construction and operation of the clamp.

One improvement consists in mounting the clamp and its operating mechanism independently of the usual platen axle, so that the latter may be readily withdrawn when it is desired to take the platen out of the machine, and may be readily replaced in the platen, without reference to the card-clamping devices.

Another advantage of the improvement is that the card-clamp operating devices are mounted entirely in the heads of the platen away from the axle bearings, so that the platen, with its clamping mechanism, may be made up complete before the axle is placed in the platen.

Another feature of the improvement consists in substantially reducing the area of the platen surface which is intersected by the clamp.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the usual platen of the Underwood typewriting machine, with parts broken away showing the interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is a view of the platen showing the slots through its wall. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the platen and accessory devices, with a card held by the clamp. Fig. & is an end elevation of the hollow platen, with part of the head broken Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 11, 1908.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Serial No. 443,058.

away and showing the interior mechanism. Fig. 5 shows details of the card-holding clamp.

The usual hollow platen of the Underwood typewriting machine, designated at 1, is provided with suitable heads 2 and 3, which are mounted upon a longitudinal shaft or axle 4. The wall of the platen is provided with alined slots 5. lVithin the platen is a longitudinal rock-shaft 6, journaled in the heads 2 and 3, one end projecting through the platen head 3, and provided with a finger piece 7. A finger-hold 8 is firmly attached to the outer face of the platen head 3, to be used in conjunction with finger-piece 7 to rock the shaft 6 and operate the card-holding clamp. In Fig. 3, the jaw 9 of the clamp is shown gripping a card 10 against the outer surface 11 of the platen.

The usual paper guide of the typewriting machine is indicated at 12, and the paper table at 13. Y

The rock-shaft 6 is provided near its ends with ralial arms 14 and 15, each having at its outer end a hook 16. The clamp proper, referring to Figs. 1 and 5, consists of a metal blade 17, which is provided with openings 18 adapted to slip onto the hooks 16 and to have a limited pivotal movement thereon. The middle portion of the outer edge of the clamping blade 17 has a cutaway 19 to allow for the solid portion of the platen wall between the slots 5. The cutaway portion may be arranged in such depth as to contact with the inner surface of the hollow platen, to limit the movement of the clamp. The clamp is normally held in retracted position by means of a coiled spring 22, one end of which is connected to apin 23, embedded in the inner surface of the platen head 3, and the other end of which is attached to the radial arm 15 and tends to normally rock the same. The clamp blade 17 and the attached jaw 9 are tilted forwardly by one or more springs 25, 26, extending from the shaft 6 to the clamp blade 17. At Fig. 4-, the clamp is drawn within the platen. This presents a smooth unbroken surface, and may then be used in the usual manner by the operator.

In Fig. 3, the clamp is shown projected the finger-piece 7 having been depressed to rock the shaft 6, and the radial arms 14 and 15 forcing the clamping jaw through the slot and beyond the outer surface of the platen. The blade 17 is drawn forward against the front face of the slots 5 by means of the springs 25 and 26. The card may then be moved along the platen surface until the front edge abuts on the forward face of the clamping blade 17, the finger-piece 7 in axnwhile held depressed. Said fingerpiece 7 may then be released when the spring which tends to retract the clamp, holds the card firmly. The spring 22, after the card has been removed, retracts the clamp to a position wholly within the slots 5, as shown in F l and 4c. The clamp-blade l7 and arms 1 15 act as a jointed lever, the outer face of the clamp jaw 9 and the plate 17 being directed against the forward face of the slots 5.

The slots in the platen wall are preferably radial to the platen axle and the card clamp is arranged to move through the same in substantially radial. direction. The operating shaft for the clamp is journaled eccentrically in the platen heads, and the crank arms on the shaft, to which the inner edge of the clamp blade is pivoted, are so positioned that the arc of movement of the pivotal points is substantially in the radial lines before mentioned when projecting the clamp through the slot into operative position. The blade is thus moved in a substantially radial plane, thus preventing any liiinding within the slot proper, permitting a free movement through the same.

The platen axle 4 passes loosely through the diskheads 2,3, and is secured by a set screw 27 threaded into a hub 28 formed on the dish 2. After said screw is loosened the axle may be withdrawn, to permit removal of the platen from the platen f 31118 without disturbing the card-holding mechanism. The rock-shaft (3 is mounted in the platen heads independently of said axle at. It will also be seen that between the openings 5 in the platen is an uncut portion 29, which leaves the platen wall or core with its full strength at this point, thereby avoiding lia bility of warping of the platen. which might occur if the platen were slit unbrokenly from end to end for the card holder. This provision of a plurality of slots in place of a single unbroken slot is a particular advantage where the usual wooden cores 30 are employed, as cores of such material are sometimes apt to become warped.

Variations may be resorted to within scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A hollow revoluble platen provided with an axle and a longitudinal slot, a shaft j ournaled eccentrically and independently of said axle within said platen, a card-holding clamp wholly contained within said slot and constructed to be projected therefrom, said clamp being operatively connected to said the shaft, a finger-piece for rotating said shaft to project the clamp through said slot, and a spring connected to said clamp to cause it to press upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot, to clamp a card upon the surface of the platen.

2. The con'ibinatioh of a hollow revoluble platen, having a longitudinal slot, and an axle for said platen, a card-holding clamp provided with a suitable claniping jaw having a curved outer surface and an inner surface adapted to clamp the paper upon the platen, a longitudinal shaft mounted eccentrically and independently of said axle and normally carrying the clamp in retracted, position wholly within said slot, with its outer surface flush with the platen, a fingerpiece attached to said shaft for projecting the clamp into operative position beyond the slot, and a spring for causing the clamp when projected through the slot to press upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot, to clamp a card upon the surface of the platen.

3. In combiiiation, a hollow cylindrical platen having an axle and provided with a longitudinal slot, a longitudinal shaft mounted eccentrically and independently of said axle within said platen, a cardholding clamp on said shaft and wholly within said slot and constructed to be projected therefrom, and a spring to press the clamp upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot, to clamp a card upon the surface of the platen.

4. The combination of a hollow cylindrical platen having an axle, said platen having a longitudinal slot therein, a longitudinal shaft mounted independently of said axle and eccentrically thereof within said platen, a clamping member constructed to be projected and retracted through said slot, and provided with a blade pivotally attached to said longitudinal shaft, a clamping jaw at the outer end of said blade, said a-w being flush with the platen surface when in ret acted position, means for holding said clamp in operative posit-ion, and means for normally retaining said clamp in retracted position.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a hollow cylindrical platen provided with a longitudinal slot and having heads, a removable axle mounted in said heads, a rocleshaft journaled in said heads eccentric to said axle. a card-holder extending along the platen and confined wholly within said slot and operable by said rock shaft to project through the slot, and a spring to press the clamp upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot, to clamp a card upon the surface of the platen.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a hollow cylindrical platen provided with a longitudinal slot and having heads on the ends ofthe platen, an axle mounted in said heads, a rock-shaft having journal hearings in said heads eccentric to said axle, and a card-holder extending along the platen and confined wholly within said slot and operable by said rock shaft to project through the slot; said rock-shaft projecting through one of said heads'and carrying a finger-piece, and a spring to press the clamp upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot, to clamp a card upon the surface of the platen; and said axle being removable independently of said rock shaft.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a hollow platen having heads and formed with a plurality of slots extending along the platen and occupying the main. portion of the length thereof, of cardholding devices comprising a unitary body wholly confined within said slots and occupying substantially the entire length of the same, and means to project said card-holding devices from said slots; the unslotted portions of the platen between said slots serving to prevent warping of the platen; and the outer ends or edges of the card-holding devices normally flush with the surface of the platen.

8. The combination with a platen having a longitudinal slot in its periphery, a card holder in said slot and flush with the periphery of the platen, of a key to project said card-holder, said key connected to a rockshaft having a spring for retracting the card-holder, and springs to swing said cardholder and cause it to catch over the edge of the slot in the platen, said rock-shaft being mounted independently of the platen axle and eccentrically thereof.

9. A hollow revoluble plat-en provided with an axle and a longitudinal slot, a shaft journaled independently of said axle and eccentrically thereof within said platen, a card-holding clamp constructed to be projected or retracted through said slot, a finger-piece for rotating said shaft to project the clamp through said slot, and a spring connected to said clamp to cause it to press upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot.

10. In combination, a hollow cylindrical platen having an axle, a longitudinal shaft mounted independently of said axle and eccentrically thereof within said platen, a card-holding clamp on said shaft constructed to be projected and retracted through a slot in the wall of said platen, and a spring to press the clamp upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a hollow cylindrical platen having heads, a removable axle mounted in said heads, a rock-shaft journaled in said heads eccentric to said axle, a card-holder extending along the platen and operable by said rock shaft to project through a slot in the platen, and a spring to press the clamp upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when pro-jected, to catch over the edge of the slot.

12. In a'typewriting machine, the combination with a hollow cylindrical platen having heads, a removable axle mounted in said heads, a rock-shaft journaled in said heads eccentric to said axle, a card-holder extending along the platen and operable by said rock shaft to project through a slot in the platen; said rock-shaft projecting through one of said heads and carrying a fingerpiece, and a spring to press the clamp upon the surface of the platen; means being provided to cause the clamp, when projected, to catch over the edge of the slot.

18. The combination with a platen, of a card-holder comprising a unitary body, card-seizing extensions of said body extending through said platen at a plurality of points, and a spring drawing said body so that said extensions tend to overlie the surface of the platen, said platen extending unbroken between said extensions.

14. The combination of a hollow cylindrical platen having a longitudinal slot therein extending along the platen surface, a longitudinal shaft eccentrically mounted within said platen, amanually-operated card-holding clamp fixed to said shaft, said clamp comprising a unitary body, and elastic means for retracting said clamp.

15. The combination with a platen having an axle and also having a longitudinal peripheral slot, of a plate fitting in said slot and flush with the surface of the platen, said plate having a jaw to clamp the edge of a card, a key to project said plate, and a rock-shaft having arms to which said plate is attached, said key connected to said rock-shaft to turn the same and said rockshaft being mounted in the heads of the platen eccentric to the axle of the platen.

16. The combination with a platen having an axle and provided with a longitudinal peripheral slot, of a plate fitting in said slot and flush with the surface of the platen, said plate having a clamping jaw to clamp the edge of a card, a spring to pull said plate inwardly toward the center of the platen, a key to project said plate, and a rock-shaft eccentric to the platen axle havint; arnis to Which said plate is attached, said key connected to said rock-shaft to ttiin the same, and said rock-shaft being inonnt ed in the headset the platen independently of the platen axle, means being piovided to cause the clamping jaw, when the plate is projected, to catch over the edge of the slot; said platen axle being de nountable independentlycf said fock shaft. 7

17 The combination of a hollow cylindiical platen having a longitudinal slot, a longitudinal shaft eccentiically joui'naled in the ends of the platen, a manually-o erated card-holding clamp upon said shaft; and means for automatically retracting said clamp and for automatically moving said clainp to catch over the edge of said slot.

18. The combination with a hollow cylindrica'l platen and a platen axle, the platen being pioizide'd With a longitudinal slot, of a rock shaft jonrnaled iii the ends of the platen eccentiica'lly of the platen axle, arms seemed to said shaft; a plate pivoted to said ai'ins and located in said slot, the plate being piovided With a clamping edge substantially perpendicular to the body of the plate and bridging the slot at the peripheiy of the platen; means to move said plate into and out of position with the clamping edge projecting beyond the platen, and means to move the plate on its pivot and cause said edge to overhang the laten;

JOHN C. MoLAUGI-ILIN. Witnesses K. FRANKFORT, JOHN O.- SEITERT:

Copies of this pateiit ma be obtained foif fiye cents each, addressing the '(2 oiiiiiiissioner of Patents. washiii gtoli, D. C. 

